Rugby Europe has announced the appointment of Sports Media Ventures (SMV) & River Media Partners (RMP) agencies as marketing and sales partners to further develop Rugby Europe revenue streams.
The two agencies based in Amsterdam and London will be in charge of developing the association's marketing and media revenues, through the packaging and sale of commercial products linked to competitions and events produced by Rugby Europe.
Rugby Europe has chosen to collaborate with the teams of Nick Chesworth (RMP) and Floris Weisz (SMV), who have a long-standing expertise of rugby marketing and media rights through their experiences at Rugby World Cups and other major international events.
As Rugby Europe invests in the amount of content created through the 600 matches it organizes each season, in particular the Rugby Europe Championship, which is the sole European qualifying competition for Rugby World Cup 2023, and the Men's and Women's Sevens Championships, which give access to the World Series and the Olympic Games.
Rugby Europe also intends to launch a professional club competition for the 2021-2022 season for the countries not participating in the 6 Nations. This initiative will be at the heart of the collaboration with both agencies.
Octavian Morariu, President of Rugby Europe: “The development of the resources is crucial for Rugby Europe. Thanks to the support of all our unions, we have created and expanded RugbyEurope.TV which has shone a light on the importance of European rugby. Thanks to RMP and SMV, we will be able to increase the promotion of our competitions and generate the income necessary for the development to invest in new projects.”
Florent Marty, CEO of Rugby Europe: “Rugby Europe represents a unique opportunity for brands and media seeking an audience in 48 markets across Europe. Until now, we were limited in terms of human resources to prospect the market. Thanks to SMV and RMP, we now have experienced partners who will help us developing the full potential of our products.”
Nick Chesworth, CEO of River Media Partners, said : “Rugby Europe’s ambition is evidenced by their future competitions strategy. It creates a clear opportunity to meaningfully grow Rugby’s reach, participation, viewership and commercial values across continental Europe. In spite of the pandemic, there are exciting times ahead for Rugby Europe. RMP and SMV are delighted to have been chosen to be part of Rugby Europe’s Game expansion mission.”
Floris Weisz CEO of Sports Media Ventures said: "I strongly believe that Rugby Europe has a very unique position in the sport and with the right commercial strategy and media distribution, will only become more-and-more important as it includes so many key growth markets for the sport. We are looking to contribute to this journey and are excited to partner with the Rugby Europe team to build a long term strategy and partnership."
